


stay by my side

by ImagineTheHaus, LittleGirlLostExplores



Series: ITH Holiday Special 2k16 [8]
Category: Check Please
Genre: 17 days to Haus Christmas, Established Relationship, M/M, jewish christmas, surprise visit, they so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 10:06:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9067105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineTheHaus/pseuds/ImagineTheHaus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleGirlLostExplores/pseuds/LittleGirlLostExplores
Summary: Can you imagine Ransom visiting Holster to help him celebrate a Jewish Christmas?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes this happens on Christmas Eve, sometimes it happens on Christmas day. It depends on the family. I made the decision to put it on Christmas day because it allowed me to have Justin call his aunt and uncle weirdo’s and really, that’s good enough for me.

Adam was actually really enjoying having the house to himself. 

 It wasn’t often that he had a chance for that in December. Eight nights of Hanukkah meant eight chances for celebrations with each side of the family and some friends from Temple and one night just for the family, and somehow in there they had to squish in the family that came to stay from far off places. Adam loved his family he really did but December was…a lot. Especially after finishing his own finals and leaving the team…leaving Ransom.

But this year, this year things were looking decidedly upwards. 

His parents had officially been married for 25 years this year, and the kids (and their grandparents) had gotten together to send his parents on a cruise after Hanukkah! His little sisters had been shipped off to stay with his aunt and uncle in Chicago. And Adam had lobbied quite vigorously that he should be allowed to stay home alone because he was old enough, and honestly, why spend the money when he really wanted to be home anyway? He wasn’t missing out on holiday family bonding time because Hanukkah was over, “so you see dear parents it’s better for me to stay here…who else will watch the house?” Plus, Justin was already planning on picking him up in Buffalo on his was back to the Haus in January.

The long and the short of it was that Adam was really enjoying himself. He could get up whenever he wanted, eat whatever he wanted, cleaned to his own exacting specifications, he didn’t have to fight for control of the TV or the radio or the car. His music was the only music on in the whole house and he decided what he did for the day every day. Which was turning out more and more to be a whole lot of nothing.

Alright, he missed his sisters. And his parents. And he hated being alone. He was just doing what he was able to do every day at the Haus and he came home for a reason. Adam hated to admit it, but he really missed his family.

He was sulkily watching Judge Judy re-runs on the couch in his very fashionable ducky boxers at about two in the afternoon when he heard a knock on the door.

Adam strongly considered ignoring the front door and continuing in his experimental bid to find out how long it would take become one with the couch, but he could practically hear his mother scolding him for being rude. He mentally reminded her he was being lazy too.

Finally, he dragged himself from the loving embrace of his couch borg collective and wandered to the front door.

“Hello, can I help—what???”

Outside his front door, on his front step, in far too little winter-gear was what appeared to be a genuine bonafide Justin Oluransi. Which was ridiculous because there was only one of those and he was in Canada…wasn’t he? Adam realized that the only thing to do in this situation is to poke the pod person and see if he was real.

“Umm….Ow?”

He was. Adam gave him the squinty side-eye. And determined that the Universe had gifted him with a Ransom. Who was he to naysay the Universe?

“…you are wearing far too little clothing to be out in the cold.”

“Bro, really? That’s all I get?”

“Are you a Ransom or are you a pod person sent to torment me?”

“Uhhh, well last I checked I was a Ransom…”

Holster shrugged, “Good enough for me. Come on in!”

Ransom followed Holster into the house and shut the door after himself with a bemused smile.

“Bro, have you had any coffee today? Or like, sugar of any kind? Carbs?”

Holster stopped and thought about it for a moment. “No. But that’s probably why you’re here so I’m ok with that.”

Ransom shook his head, “In a manner of speaking, bro, yes. Come on, let’s get some caffeine into you and see how you do.”

Ransom proceeded to pour some hot chocolate down Holster’s throat, get him to eat a turkey sandwich and snuggled him into the couch with some blankets for some quality co-napping.

* * *

“OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?”

THUD!

Justin really didn’t enjoy landing face first on the floor, but to be honest, he was kind of expecting this.

He really did enjoy the pillows he put on the floor to catch him when Holster inevitably woke up and freaked out, however.

“My family decided to spend Christmas with my aunt this year! She’s only about 2 hours from here so I thought I’d come visit.”

“Bro, I am so glad to see you! …I’ve actually been really lonely without the Sister Squad around.”

“I know, Holtzy, that’s why I came.”

They shared an understanding look that had more to do with gratitude for the other than the joy of feeling understood in any single situation.

“I decided that you could use some company tonight.”

“Tonight…TONIGHT! Ransy tonight is CHRISTMAS. Aren’t your parents going to be upset?”

“Nah my aunt married a weirdo. His family celebrates on Christmas Eve. We already did all our big family things. I’m free and clear all night.”

Holster paused and then exploded onto the couch and almost hit his head on the ceiling in the process, “RANS. RANS, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS??”

Ransom cocked an eyebrow at him, “That I didn’t drive two hours just to have to turn around and go back to my aunt’s approximately three minutes later?”

“NO. BETTER. YOU GET TO CELEBRATE JEWISH CHRISTMAS WITH ME!” Holster jumped down and did a little dance that involved a large amount of pivoting and pointing at the ceiling and very little else. Ransom loved him but his boy COULD NOT dance. Poor white darling.

“Jewish Christmas? Hanukkah was 2 weeks ago. Adam, how long have you been in front of that tv? How long have you been wearing those BOXERS??”

“No, babe, not Hanukkah, Jewish Christmas.”

“I thought that’s what I said.”

“Rans. Ransypoo. Justonian Oluransiorinni. Jewish Christmas. It’s a pilgrimage for all Jewish kind. It’s a holiday that draws us all together. It’s a part of the stitching that holds us all as one people. Justin. Jewish Christmas. Is. TRADITION!”

Ransom had no idea what was going on. But Holster seemed to be very excited for whatever this was and he was always down for making Adam happy.

“Ok, it’s important. I get that. I can probably even roll with that but Adam, what IS it? Because I’m not sacrificing any goats or portions of my dignity.”

“Oh no, Ransom, I’m not telling you, you have to EXPERIENCE it. Wait right here.”

“Wait no, come with me, I’m going to shower.”

* * *

It only took an hour to get them both clean and dressed. It took another hour to set up Justin’s things in Adam’s room to Adam’s satisfaction. Adam had many moons of experience in the care and keeping of his coral reef, everything had a specific way it HAD to be…even if Justin didn’t know it. So they rolled out the door at about 4 pm.

“Where are we going?”

“To get dinner.”

“But it’s Christmas DAY.”

“Right you are! And what isn’t open on Christmas Day?”

“Everything?”

“Wrong. Everything that is mostly worked or run by Christians. What IS open??”

“…Israeli restaurants?”

“Close. And points for creativity but no, there aren’t enough of those around. Chinese!”

Ransom let out a delighted laugh. “Of course!”

Once Holster procured for them a truly terrifying amount of chinese food he looked at Ransom.

“Night in or night out?” he asked cryptically.

“What?”

“Do you want to spent the rest of the night in or out?”

“In?”

“Awesome! In it is! More cuddling that way!”

Holster drove them home and explained on the way.

“The other thing that is historically open on Christmas day is the movie theater. So we either go and watch the newest feature or like my family does every year, we go home and watch Fiddler on the Roof!” Holster looked so very pleased with himself. So pleased in fact that Ransom almost felt bad about asking his next question.

“Fiddler on the Roof?”

Holster gasped and made a quick and dirty stop on the side of the road. He turned to Ransom with a look of dread in his eyes.

“You’ve never seen Fiddler?? How is this possible? How did this happen? Am I that bad of a Jew?,” he looked up at the sky, “Oh lord forgive me, for I have sinned. Had I but known there was an unwashed heathen in my presence, I would have taken steps!” Holster looked back at Ransom.

“Fiddler on the Roof is one of the best musicals in the history of the art form. It’s got laughter and tears and vodka and ghosts. It will tear out your heart and make you happy it happened. Fiddler is amazing. Fiddler is how I learned to sing. Fiddler is part of the very fabric of Judaism. We are WATCHING Fiddler.”

Holster proceeded to drive them home, muttering to himself about where he went wrong, and how this could happen, and who doesn’t know FIDDLER, and, good god, what was he even doing with his life. Ransom wasn’t entirely sure if it was his life or Holster’s that the man was questioning. Was this how Holster felt when Ransom started sliding into Coral Reef mode? Maybe Justin should get him a gift basket to thank him….with all of those silly Lush bath bombs that Holster loved.

Holster stormed into the house and installed Ransom on the couch. He set up the food, the blankets, the tissues, the tissue wastebasket, the lip balm for chapped noses and finally the movie.

They watched Fiddler.

* * *

Predictably, Justin loved it.

The music was fantastic, the comedy spot on and the FEELS were strong. What else could a bro want out of a culturally consistent and respectful musical that took on some of the biggest generational issues of the time period in which it’s set AND today, and handled the conflicts with candor and good humor while also avoiding white-washing the truth or absolutionism? Nothing at all.

Of course, first Ransom had to get over how Holster allowed him to watch this thing that UTTERLY SHATTERED HIS HEART, OK?

“Bro. Bro, how could you keep this from me? Bro, how could you tell me you cared about me and not share this with me? Babe, I’m wounded.”

“How was I supposed to know you were uncultured swine? I thought EVERYBODY had seen Fiddler.”

“Well, apparently we don’t have culture that far North.”

“Apparently not. But ok, here’s the most important question. What was your favorite part and why?”

“…et tu, brute? How am I supposed to pick ONE PART?! I mean ‘If I was a Rich Man’, shit I could rock out to that all day long! And Sabbath Prayer? Oh my GOD it’s so sweet and pure! And Tevye’s dream? HOLY CRAP THAT WAS SO COOL AND THEY DID THAT WHOLE THING LIKE THEY ACTUALLY DID IT WITHOUT COMPUTER ANIMATION! And PLEASE break my heart just a LITTLE more with ‘Far From the Home I Love’. This thing was made in the before-times of like the 1970s or some shit and the humor is STILL FUNNY and it’s funny to ALL AGES. Do you know how RARE that is??”

“I do bro, I do.”

“…But…but Holtzy, WHY did he have to send her away at the end? I don’t understand? WHY? THEY COULD HAVE BEEN TOGETHER AGAIN.”

At this point, there was quite a bit of crying to be done. But Holster just cuddled him until he was better. It was what Adam’s mother did for him and his three sisters after the first viewing in which each of them finally understood the magnitude of what they had seen. It was another Jewish tradition.

Sometimes Holster wondered how Ransom and his family had come to that understanding without a quintessential movie depicting their hereditary struggle and then he wondered if maybe it wasn’t made harder for not having the use of a movie to prop up and facilitate one single crystallizing moment. That was usually the time that he started crying or hugged Ransom so close that he creaked.

But Ransom loved Fiddler and he loved Jewish Christmas and he loved Adam Birkholtz and his family and traditions and every damn thing about him.

And honestly, Justin actually did feel much better after having watched the movie. Adam called it catharsis. Justin called it sharing life experiences.

So they had some ice cream. And they fell into bed. And the next morning, they watched The Grinch.

**Author's Note:**

> We are always accepting new prompts at our [tumblr](https://imaginethehaus.tumblr.com) account, so feel free to drop by with a little headcanon or ask.


End file.
